Family
by Hope Hannigan
Summary: Set after X-Men First Class. What happens in the XMFC-movie-verse when Azazel and Mystique are given the chance to work for Magneto alongside and build a better future for all mutants?
1. Prologue

Prologue

It's been almost a year since she had last seen her foster brother and left with his former best friend. Erik had been nothing but nice to her as she was mourning her loss. She hoped Charles was fine despite the bullet wound that happened on that godforsaken beach. Her heart crushed when she had heard his anguished I can't feel my legs! as Azazel was 'porting them away. She was now standing at the front door of the Mansion she grew up in, her hands holding onto her slightly swollen abdomen. Her blue knuckles whitened as she pressed her fingers in her skin, feeling the small life growing into her. She didn't dare to shape-shift anymore, fearing the consequences for her baby. Her hair was in disarray, her few clothes looked like they had been thrown on randomly only for modesty's sake.

She had fled Magneto's side as soon as she had suspected her pregnancy. It had taken her time and despair to get to Charles's school for the gifted, as he called it now. She still believed in Eric's ideal but she didn't feel the way of life they were leading was safe to carry a baby nine months and deliver it to the world. They never knew where they would be the next day, what facilities they would sleep in, when danger would arise. She felt it was safer with her brother. She was bracing herself to come in when she heard the BAMF and smelled the telltale scent of brimstone. She turned away from the Mansion's front door to face the two men she knew were standing there. The man she admired the most and the man she loved the most. She felt her eyes fill with tears as she cursed the damned hormones. Her expression turned to tortured as she could see the worried looks on both men's faces.

"Mystique," softly said Eric, as if he feared to scare her away. "What are you doing here, my dear?"

Neither men had noticed her hands on her swollen belly. She looked down at it and sighed. She couldn't keep the truth from her baby's father any longer, she thought. She needed to find the courage to tell him.

"I'm..." she started, her throat constricted with emotion. "I'm pregnant... Azazel, we're going to have a baby..."

She looked up at his bemused face. Eric looked genuinely surprised as his eyes traveled between his two lieutenants. His eyes finally settled on someone who had heard the conversation. He concealed his emotions as the wheeled chair got closer. The blue eyes of Charles Xavier were filled with concern as he was taking in his sister's disheveled appearance. "Raven... Come on in, all of you, it will be more comfortable to talk inside."

The three mutants, stunned to silence, followed the mind-reader as he led their way inside. Mystique kept her eyes on her hands covering her belly, Azazel on Mystique and Magneto on his old friend. As they took seats in the parlor, Charles spoke up, "I have requested Beast to bring us some tea. Now, Raven, why have you come back?"

"I need a place to have my baby. I'm sorry Eric but the way we're living... isn't suitable to have a baby safely..."

The usually silent Russian teleporter leaned toward Mystique. "Our baby..."

Mystique smiled weakly and nodded, "Our baby..."

AN: This story was prompted by the beautiful art of spritemix-a-lot on Tumblr. If you check out the gorgeous Fan Art she drew back in June 2011, you'll understand why it made my finger itch. Go on her Tumblr page and give her appreciation. She's talented. (if her tumblr is still 16 pages long, the pictures I'm talking about are on page 13)

I know that in the movie, Mystique wasn't there when Charles said he couldn't feel his legs. I changed it to add to the drama of the scene.

Check out Reaper and Rogue's Baby, my other current WIPs. Both, unlike this one, are focused on Rogue and Gambit.

*edit* sorry about that, the first time I uploaded this one, it deleted all the "" I use to mark dialog. My deepest apologies.


	2. Chapter 01

Chapter One

Notes: Dorogoi is Darling in Russian.

Mystique walked slowly, her hands supporting her back, as she went to the kitchen. She had awoken from the baby's kicking and was craving for strawberries. She let out a frustrated sigh when she didn't find any in the fridge. They didn't even have strawberry flavored ice-cream. She kicked the door of the fridge and let herself sink on a nearby chair. She had salivated at the idea of having strawberries. She wanted them. She needed them. She looked at the window. Maybe at the Mansion...?

She and Azazel had been living in the Gardener's house on the Mansion's ground since she had appeared on the doorstep five months ago. Azazel teleported every day to Magneto's side and came back to her every evening. It felt... homey. She felt like a house-wife waiting for her husband to come back from work. Azazel and her weren't married – they hadn't wanted to rush into it even though Mystique had unexpectedly become pregnant – but it felt like it all the same. She considered again going to the Mansion and see if they had anything with strawberries in it. But it was a rather chilly beginning of November and she didn't feel like freezing herself and her baby while she walked through the park. She gave a defeated sigh and caressed her round belly. "Looks like we can't have strawberries, baby. What would you want instead?"

She felt the baby move around, maybe stretching its limbs, she guessed. A tender smile spread on her lips. "You move a lot, don't you?" she cooed. "Restless. Just like your daddy..."

She heard light footsteps as Azazel came into the well lit kitchen. "Why are you up, Dorogoi?"

"I have a craving, but we're out of strawberries," she sighed. "I'll come back to bed in a moment, don't worry."

"Strawberries..." he said before a BAMF and a brimstone smell accompanied his disappearance. Another BAMF later he was back with some freshly harvested, red and luscious strawberries. He handed the small basket to Mystique. "Your fruit, Dorogoi."

Mystique pulled him toward her for a kiss. He could look cold and insensitive, he didn't have a way with words like Charles or Erik but in moments like these, she knew with all her heart that despite his demonic features, Azazel was a man who deeply cared. His way to call her Darling in his native language was endearing and made her insides tingle each time. "I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"Ya lyublyu tebya," he answered back.

She had asked him, over a year ago, what that meant. They had had a mission together and were left on their own by the rest of the Brotherhood. They accomplished it without a single scratch and when they had headed back to their hiding place, he had looked at her intently and said the words. Mystique had been taken aback and had gaped at him a short while. She had softly asked him what it meant. When he had answered "I love you," she had felt her heart explode and had thrown herself at him. She had been intrigued by him, then attracted to him when they first joined the newborn Brotherhood. As time went by, she slowly learned to discover his personality and his inner being. Beside her panic when she had found out about her pregnancy, they had been going strong ever since.

Azazel straightened and with a small salute, left the room. Her eyes followed his retreating back as he walked away. She picked the first red fruit and brought it to her mouth. As the juice touched her tongue, she shivered with pleasure. She softly moaned after swallowing her first bite. She closed her eyes as the baby reacted and moved softly. She could feel the movement under her hand stroking her overstretched skin.

Soon she finished the basket and licked the juices off her fingers. She sighed contentedly. She got up and dropped the strained basket in the garbage bin. Humming to herself, she turned to follow her lover toward their bedroom. As she took the first step, she felt liquid flowing on her inner legs. Her first thought was that she had lost control of her bladder, but as she saw the amount of liquid pooling around her feet she gasped. It was coming, her baby was coming. "Azazel!" she called. "Baby's coming!" She had to scream a short moment before he appeared at the kitchen's door. He looked completely lost and speechless.

He snapped out of his trance. "Baby is coming... now?"

She nodded and grabbed his hand. She felt the usual tugging as he teleported them inside the Mansion's med bay. He helped her lie on the brand new examination table that Charles had acquired for this special occasion. Azazel pressed the button to call for medical assistance, much like the one in hospitals. Not a minute later, Hank and Charles appeared in the doorway, Hank pushing Charles' chair. Charles took Raven's hand while Hank put on a white doctor blouse. "You have lost the waters, I see," assessed Hank upon seeing her soaked pajama pants.

"Yes, but I don't feel any contraction yet..." she faintly whispered. She was scared. As elated as she was to be holding her baby in her arms in a short while, she was terrified by the time to come before that moment could happen. Smiling reassuringly, Hank felt her abdomen with his sensitive paws, looking for the stiffness of a discreet contraction. As he had expected, the contractions were too small to be felt by Raven yet. He suspected they weren't close or regularly spaced yet. He handed Raven a hospital gown and wheeled Charles outside while talking to her.

"Azazel will help you get into this gown. Charles and I will wait outside. Afterward, I will place the cardiotocograph on your belly to monitor the baby and the contractions. We talked about it, there is nothing to fear. Once I have the monitor set and examined you more thoroughly, I will be able to give you an estimated time before the actual delivery and the birth."

Raven muttered a thank you as the door closed behind both men. Things had been awkward at first between her and Hank. As months had passed by, they had grown accustomed to the patient-doctor relationship and awkwardness had faded.

Azazel thoughtfully helped her undress and change into the gown. They had decided he would stay by her side during the whole labor and delivery, as the Mansion didn't have any nurse and they could use all the medically able hands and willing help. She laid down again and he stroked her face. "Everything will be fine, Dorogoi," he reassured her, sensing her tenseness. He pushed on the button again and the two Doctors came in. Hank efficiently set up the machine, strapping it on Raven's swollen belly. Soon they were able to see the heartbeat of the baby and the contractions on the papers printed by the machine.

With an apologetic grin, Hank examined Raven to check the dilatation and the advancement of the labor. Once done, he asked Charles for the cardiotocograph's results. The disabled man was to stay by the machine and inform them of the monitoring developments. Azazel was to tend to Raven's comfort and Hank to the baby's arrival.

After examining closely the graphs, Charles looked at Hank. "Baby's heart is steady and beating at a normal pace. The contractions are increasing in intensity and proximity. Raven, you will soon feel the pain of it. I'd say... with the current evolution... six more hours. Is it consistent with your examination, Hank?"

Hank nodded. "We have to wait a little more, Raven. When you will start to feel the contraction will not be the time to start pushing, understand me? If you do, you will be exhausted by the time the baby is ready. As you wished, you will not be medicated. I need to you breathe as steadily as we practiced the last few weeks."

Raven nodded her agreement and settled as comfortably as she could on the examination table. The next couple of hours consisted in waiting. They chit-chatted, interrupted by Raven's focus on her breathing when contractions were particularly intense. Azazel didn't talk much, not being talkative in nature. He kept Raven's hand in his, stroking her arm, wiping her forehead. A whirlwind of thoughts and emotions were turning restlessly in his mind. He couldn't believe his luck. After all the things he did for Sebastian Shaw's cause, all the deaths, all the sorrow he caused, he was blessed with a new life sprung from his own. He had been seduced by the innocence and the recklessness of the young woman carrying his offspring. She had the ability to look past his demon features right into his heart. Her faith in him was inspiring. With Magneto's leadership, he had been able to do some good deeds for their fellow mutants and he felt right on the path of redemption. Everyone had believed he was bound to do no good since his childhood as he was born visibly mutant.

He shook himself inwardly. Time wasn't right to reflect on the last year and a half. They were getting close to the delivery and Mystique's grip on his hand had grown tighter and tighter. His head snapped up as Hank spoke. "It's time, Raven. Next contraction, I need you to start pushing..."

AN: There you go, a chapter for you all to devour. I try not to get too visual. Cardiotocograph is a mouthful and, as the technology was new in the 60s, I do think people still called it that back then. It's simply the monitoring device that keeps tabs on the baby's vitals throughout the delivery. Tell me if I need to raise the ratings. For me it's T material, seeing how I knew most of this when I was a teen. I mean, after Twilight's PG13 delivery scene, it can't get any more gore-y.

Disclaimer: Everything that belongs to someone else don't belong to me. Well, duh. I don't intend to make money. I just decided to create my own 'verse based on X-Men First Class. Owners own and make money. I just own a bunch of DVDs and comics.


	3. Chapter 02

Chapter two

It had felt like hours but Charles informed her later it had been barely over half an hour when Hank placed a crying, covered in fluids form on her bosom. Amazed, she looked at her baby. She could tell it was blue skinned and it had most of its father's features, like the tail... She looked closely... "Azazel... It's a boy... we have a son," she muttered in exhaustion. The baby quieted and started to search his mother's bosom, a natural instinct. With a towel, Azazel wiped the fluids off the baby's skin. They were so amazed that they didn't notice Charles and Hank retreat from the room to leave them some privacy. The baby squealed and opened unfocused golden eyes, her eyes. Mystique felt a smile stretch her lips. "What will we call him?" she wondered aloud.

"We can think and decide later. You need rest, Dorogoi. I will take care of our son while you rest." he said unexpectedly.

"Thank you, my love..." she weakly said as Azazel retrieved his son and cradled him for the very first time. He kissed Mystique as her eyes closed. Once assured she was sleeping, he slipped out of the room, the baby in his arms. Hank and Charles were in the other side, obviously waiting for him.

"We need to clean and dress the baby," said Hank rather uncomfortably. None of the men had actually handled a newborn before. Azazel nodded and followed Hank's instructions as the Beast supervised the operation. A few minutes later, with a lot of whispered arguing and struggle, they had the baby dressed in white newborn pajamas. It had an embroidery saying "Mutant and Proud" on the front. Mystique had made the embroidery during her pregnancy. Azazel was sure she would love to see their son in it.

-

Mystique opened her eyes and saw the Mansion's new Med bay. Her hands went straight to her stomach, as they had done since she had discovered she was expecting. She gasped when they didn't meet the swollen belly she had grown accustomed to. She tried to sit up but stopped when she felt sore and hurt. Her eyes focused on the form lying on a couch placed in the room. While she was asleep, Beast and Azazel had moved a couch in the room so he could stay with his lover and their son. The baby was lying by his father, secured in his arms. Azazel's tail was wrapped around the baby's waist as an additional security. She saw the baby open his eyes and start to cry hungrily. It awoke Azazel. The demon man brought the baby to his mother so she could feed him. With no hesitation, instinct taking over, she cradled him against her chest, giving him access to his new source of food. Snuggling against her, the baby quieted as he got fed.

Azazel sat on the couch sleepily, contemplating his lover and his son together. "How are you feeling, Dorogoi," he asked as she looked up at him with an amazed smile.

"I'm feeling somewhat empty, but full at the same time. It's so strange to be holding him after all those months spent feeling him and dreaming him... He's perfect... What will we call him?"

Azazel opened his mouth to answer but closed it when the door opened and Magneto let himself inside with a bunch of flowers and balloons. "Congratulations, my friends!" he said as he came closer. He blushed when he noticed Mystique feeding the baby boy and he turned away from her. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be... er... feeding the baby already..."

"It's alright, Erik. You seem to forget I go basically naked most of the time. There's nothing here you haven't seen before. Did Charles turn you into one of his clones?"

Azazel smiled at his lover's witty reply. Magneto turned again toward the room and Mystique feeding the baby. The newborn sighed contentedly and let go of his mother. She straightened herself. "Now, if you men don't mind, I'd like to shower."

The men mumbled agreements and Mystique laid the baby in his crib. Azazel and Magneto left the room. Once alone, she stripped herself from the dirty gown and spent heavenly moments in the lukewarm shower. She felt clean for the first time since the delivery. Once dry, she put on pajamas she had at the ready in her Med bay room. The last weeks before the birth, they had thought wise to prepare some fresh changes of clothes for herself and the baby. She stopped by the crib and caressed her baby's cheek. He was the perfect mix between her and Azazel.

She was feeling reinvigorated. She knew that as soon as she was feeling well enough, they would depart. Azazel and Erik had made sure that their new base of operation was suitable for her and the baby. She felt kind of sad to leave that way but she knew it was just a matter of time before Charles started to ask questions. She knew him. He was curious in nature but wouldn't read her thoughts without her agreement.

Cooing at her baby, she made her way back to her hospital bed. Azazel and her didn't know what to name him. They tried to have that conversation but couldn't decide for sure. They would come up with something soon enough.

AN: I know, I know, this chapter is short... My apologies. Next one is better. And it'll be next weekend.


End file.
